A guide for the development of community-based training programs for EMS communications personnel is being prepared in a study that has the following elements: 1) utilization of recordings made of actual calls entering the EMS communications center; 2) playing these recordings to panels of physicians, nurses, and EMS dispatchers; and 3) eliciting consensus regarding questions that would clarify the need for emergency care, priority setting for emergency dispatching, and advice to be given to the caller.